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Families with children of 12 and over

Our multi activity holidays are great for families with children of 12 years and over. Because our holidays are tailormade to your particular interests and abilities, you can select from a wide range of mountain sports to suit your family's needs.

Please see our multi activity page for a full list of activities and a suggested itinerary.

Mountainbug holidays use only qualified guides and instructors, and the package price includes your full-board accommodation in our lovely village house, all meals, five days of activities, all instructors, guides and equipment, and local minibus transport. Our accommodation is of the highest standard in Bareges village - with en-suite bedrooms, a sauna, spacious lounge and patio garden for the use of our guests, and we have a reputation for our delicious food (see our new Mountainbug Menu page). On an all inclusive holiday you don't have to worry about anything other than enjoying yourself!

Multi activity packages can be combined with any number of independent days out (see below for other family activities) - please contact us for an individual quote.

Families with children under 12

If you have a younger family, the Pyrenees and the village of Bareges are a great base for an active holiday in the mountains. From our usual list of activities, the following are available for under 12s:

Mountain walking Pretty villages, flower-filled meadows, spectacular views and mountain lakes for sunbathing, paddling, picnic-ing and marmot-spotting.		White water rafting An exhilarating trip down the rushing Gave de Pau river in family-sized rafts; with an experienced guide.
Caving Half or full-day sporting trips underground (lamps, overalls etc and a guide are provided).		Paragliding Tandem jumps with a professional pilot. A unique and exciting way to see the Pyrenees from a birds eye view.
Pony trekking Guided rides on the forest trails in the woodland above Bareges village.		Hot dog Descend the Gave de Pau river in two man (hot dog) or one man (hair boat) inflatable canoes - you're guaranteed to get wet!

Mountainbug holidays use only qualified guides and instructors, and all specialist equipment hire is included in the price of the activity. For families with younger children, we suggest our accommodation-only option, for an independent itinerary based from our lovely house in Bareges village. We will be happy to help you arrange any activities and outings as part of your stay with us.

Independent family activities:

Pic du Midi An exciting cable car ride to the Pic du Midi observatory at 2800m. This is a working observatory and has a museum of astronomy, terrace restaurant and a breathtaking 360 degree panorama of the highest peaks of the Pyrenees.		Chlorofil Adventure Park A woodland assault course with rope ladders, zip lines and suspended walkways high in the tree tops.
Donjon des Aigles An ancient castle tower with active displays of eagles, owls, and vultures in flight.		Parc Animalier A hands-on zoo of Pyrenean wildlife in their natural environment. Play with the marmots, and deer, see the underwater world of the otters, watch the brown bears, foxes and wolves, and walk amongst mouflon, chamois and squirrels.
Grottes de Betharram One of the most beautiful and interesting showcaves of the Pyrenees. Visit the five grottos on foot, by boat and on a train!		Bike hire Mountain bike and road bike hire are available locally.
Mountain Luge, Hautacam A 700m descent in a two-man car. 3 € for one ride, or 12 € for five. Whizz down the mountain slopes while enjoying the scenery in style!		Rollerbe, Hautacam All sorts of fun activities including kids' quad biking, downhill stand-on bikes, grass carts, mountain boarding and "arapaho" fat-wheeled scooters.
Bareges fun pool Bareges has an outdoor heated fun pool - a great spot for splashing and sun bathing in the afternoons!		Luz Summer pool There is a full size outdoor swimming pool at Luz-St. Sauveur, just down the valley.
Gedre ice rink Ice skating in the pretty Pyrenean village of Gedre, en-route to the spectacular Cirque du Gavarnie.		Lourdes and the Pic du Jer Visit the pilgrimage town of Lourdes, and take a ride up the funiculaire train for a fantastic view of the mountains from the summit of the Pic du Jer.

Prices and Dates: Available throughout the year, available activities (and hence price) are dependent on the season, please contact us for more information.

2-centre holidays for families

Combine a week in the mountains with catered accommodation at our village house, with a week in a stunning self-catering gite at Cognac. The Cognac region is just north of Bordeaux - exactly half way between the Pyrenees and the Northern ferry ports, making an ideal destination for the second week of your holiday in France if you are bringing your own car from the UK.

Set in rural idyll, amongst rolling vineyards, your accommodation is in a beautiful renovated watermill with its own swimming pool and 11 acres of grounds. Just 7km from Cognac, but in total seclusion. The Moulin de Chazotte has four self-catering gites (rated "Gites de France" 3-star) with stunning views across the vineyards. Each gite has a fully-equipped kitchen, private BBQ and sunny patio area. The 12x6m pool, 7 acre playing field and woodland (badminton court, jogging track) and house bicycles are all available for guests' use.

The Cognac area has plenty of activities for families, including cycling, rambling, canoeing, pony trekking, fishing and wind surfing on the local reservoir, as well as some fascination historical towns and Roman sites including the amphitheatre at Saintes. The lovely West coach beaches are just over an hour's drive away. There are also the obligatory Cognac distillery tours of course (Hennesey, Courvoisier, Remy Martin, Martell to name but a few) and some gorgeous gourmet restaurants specialising in recipes of the SW of France.

A selection of pictures from the different gites:

Please visit the website www.cognacvacances.com for more information, individual pricings and photos of the gites, plus a detailed description of things to do in the Cognac area.

Prices and Dates: Available throughout the year, available activities (and hence price) are dependent on the season. August acommodation prices, based on a family of four sharing, start at £447 per person for two weeks. This includes one week half board accommodation in the Pyrenees (en-suite bedroom, continental breakfasts, afternoon tea & cakes and three course evening meals) plus one week self-catering accommodation at the Moulin de Chazotte, Cognac. Organised guided activities (rafting, horseriding, canoeing, caving etc.) are priced at around 30 euros for a half day. Cognac tours are around 7-10 euros pp.

Please contact us or the moulin de chazotte for more information and prices.